Greece on the regional energy map

Greece’s efforts on the energy front are expanding and intensifying. Lately, the emphasis has been on exploring the prospects of the area around the island of Crete, especially after the recent visit to the US of Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, who discussed these plans with energy giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron.
In the broader Eastern Mediterranean, there are also a number of other major multilateral energy schemes involving Greece – as well as Egypt, Israel and Cyprus – that are either already under way or being planned.
At the same time, projects like the Vertical Corridor – facilitating natural gas flows through the terminal stations of Greece to countries in northeastern and central Europe – are also moving forward.
Six countries – Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Ukraine – have partnered on a connection project that is expected to be completed by 2026.
Last week, the Greek energy minister participated in the inauguration of the construction of a branch in Bulgaria of the neighboring country’s natural gas distribution network in the context of the Vertical Corridor.
Underlying the multifaceted positive impact of the broader South-North connection projects, he noted that the increased flow of natural gas from Greece to Central and Eastern Europe “has great value in terms of energy, as it highlights the leading role of Greece in European energy autonomy and security, but it is also of great geostrategic importance.”
Last at this juncture, but definitely not least, is another high-potential project, along the same energy as well as geopolitical lines; the proposed one-billion-euro hydrogen pipeline connecting Greece to Bulgaria, as part of a future European southeastern corridor.
All these actions, in which Greece’s imprint becomes steadily more visible, diversify and improve the energy supply chain and, thus, are increasingly supported by other governments in the region and, more importantly, institutions whose political and economic weight is crucial if a project is to move forward.